What is the Difference Between IIT and Other Engineering Colleges in India

Pursuing a B-Tech degree from a reputed institution in India does make a difference when it comes to the placement of students and earning the best of jobs in the Indian and international industries. Although there are several best engineering colleges in the country, IITs (Indian Institute of Technology) are usually on the top of every student’s list. While the country has 19 IITs in total, a few of them, including IIT Mumbai, IIT Delhi, IIT Kanpur, IIT Madras, and IIT Kharagpur, are ranked higher.

As intellectuals in India hold varied viewpoints on the advantages of studying in an IIT over another engineering college, we share with you some of the largely believed reasons why IITs are a unanimous choice of engineering aspirants. Ranging from education quality and facilities to brand image, educationists share many factors that make IITs what they are. Check out some of the key differences between IIT and other Indian engineering colleges.

Major Difference Parameters for IIT and Other Engineering Institutes:

Parameter

IIT

Other Engineering Colleges

Reputation

A long-established brand name and carrying that tag successfully to build its reputation

Some colleges like NITs progressing towards building a powerful brand name

Faculty

Most experienced and esteemed faculty of India

Highly experienced and qualified faculty in many top colleges

Alumni

World-class engineers doing excellently in their companies or being successful entrepreneurs

A good to average alumni network

Infrastructure and Facilities

Adequate infrastructure but central funding allows several research opportunities and well-equipped facilities

Most private colleges have good infrastructure and facilities; a few lag behind

Campus Life

A great campus life with a variety of extracurricular activities and educational events organised for students

Not all colleges have a vibrant campus life; still, some are rich at it

Quality of Education

A rigorous curriculum to offer the best of training and exposure to engineering students

High-quality of education at top colleges, but not in all

Admission Process

Through IIT-JEE, which is considered one of the world’s toughest exams

Some colleges accepting IIT-JEE scores and some having their own exams to select and admit students in varied courses

Cost of Education

Not too high

Very high in some private colleges

Placements/Salary Packages

Excellent record of placements in the world’s largest corporations and Fortune 500 companies with many students grabbing packages of 10-15 L

Record 100% placement in a few top colleges, but average to good placement in the rest of them

Degree Recognition

Worldwide

Within India or in some countries

Differences Making IITs Better Engineering Institutions:

While we have tabulated several major differences between IIT and other engineering colleges in India, there are a few reasons that offer an outright declaration of IIT being the best of Indian engineering institutions. Here are the major differences that lead to this conclusion:

The Quality of Education:

IIT has built its brand based on the high-quality education and exposure it offers to students. Right from the syllabus to the course content, the college delivers flexible yet in-depth knowledge on every topic it covers. Unlike many other engineering colleges, IIT has developed enriched courses over the years. Students not only receive detailed theoretical knowledge but also get practical learning opportunities where they can apply the concepts they have learned in the classroom. They also receive a multitude of research opportunities that other engineering colleges hardly provide. No doubt, IIT generates highly skilled and brilliant minds.

Faculty and Pedagogy:

While every institution has its own instructional pedagogy, IIT differs completely with its unique style of teaching and learning. You can find the most experienced faculty at IIT. Their expertise nurtures students from the very beginning. Even the senior-most professors at IIT take classes for the beginner students who have just entered the institution. This not only makes the senior faculty members more accessible to every student but also builds a healthy relationship between students and the faculty. The syllabus is not the ultimate guideline at IIT and the faculty is flexible to impart dynamic and latest knowledge to students. This is transformational.

Admission Process:

For every student aspiring to become an engineer, it is a dream to clear the entrance examination for IIT and study in this reputed college. Many students, who easily clear the entrance exams of some other colleges, are unable to clear IIT JEE. This is because of the rigorous admission process followed at IIT. According to some sources, less than two percent of the students appearing for JEE get admission in IITs, while this percentage is around 10 for Harvard. This is one reason why it is one of the toughest exams globally. Such a hard selection process only lets in the best of minds.

Campus Life:

While several engineering colleges offer a dull campus life, IITs nurture confidence in their on-campus students. The IIT offers many learning opportunities inside and outside the campus, which help students develop varied skills like teamwork, problem-solving, decision-making, leadership, and viewing life from multiple perspectives. While the IIT campus provides numerous facilities like other engineering colleges, it does not confine students to the boundaries of the institution. They even go for activities like yoga classes, horse riding, hiking and mountaineering, music sessions, and a 24-hour operational tinkering laboratory. As the faculty members also live on campus, students build a great bond with them.

Placement Assistance:

At IIT, it is not simply about the placement of students in top organisations but it is about going a long way to help them get their dream jobs. Interested students are also helped to take up further research projects in national and international universities and research firms. Several engineering colleges offer average placement help or no help at all. However, IITs appear to be on a nation-building mission with a wonderful record of student placements. IIT students lick the cream in the job sector. You can find most of the entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley to be from IITs. Such qualities of leadership and entrepreneurship among alumni may lack in the alumni of other Indian engineering colleges.

Discipline:

Right from the teaching and learning discipline among professors and students to the discipline in every individual contributing to IIT in some ways, it is an important factor that brings the commitment to education. Students receive support from everyone on the campus as well as get excellent facilities that shape them into dynamic professionals when they leave the college. Whether it is a project or assignment or a brainstorming session, students become fully dedicated to grasping as much knowledge as they can. Disciplined efforts are the uniqueness of IIT, making it a remarkable engineering institution, unlike any other in India.

Since the establishment of IIT in 1951, the institution has churned out the best of engineers in varied fields. The IITs have contributed greatly to the advancement of the nation through their exceptional education quality, infrastructure, and research facilities. From a talented alumni network and reputed faculty members to only the most disciplined and dedicated students, IIT has always had the best of it all. With its unmatched education, it is hardly required to match it to any other engineering college in India.